Whitby man’s disappearance remains a mystery

Jeffrey Boucher's disappearance remains a mystery

Another week gone by, another search. And still the mystery of what became of Jeffrey Boucher remains unsolved. Three months after the Whitby man disappeared without a trace, the only piece of solid evidence recovered is a running shoe believed to belong to the avid runner. It was discovered near the Lake Ontario shore by a passerby March 11. Police said Friday they believe it’s Mr. Boucher’s.

Jeffrey Boucher search

Ron Pietroniro / Metroland

WHITBY -- Durham Regional Police Detective Jeff Kennedy spoke with the media at the Whitby waterfront near the Heydenshore Pavillion. The police were at the waterfront as they continue to look for clues in the disppearance of Whitby jogger Jeffrey Boucher. March 15, 2014.

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Two months after the Whitby man disappeared without a trace, the only piece of solid evidence recovered is a running shoe believed to belong to the avid runner. It was discovered near the Lake Ontario shore by a passerby March 11. Police said Friday they believe it’s Mr. Boucher’s.

This past Monday Durham police followed up on that development, conducting a ground search from the Whitby pier east to the vicinity of the Heydenshore Pavilion, said Detective Jeff Kennedy, the lead investigator on the file.

“We’ve done as much of a land search as we can for now,” he said as the effort wound up Monday afternoon. “The only element left is the water.”

He said a continuation of the search will involve a police boat, something that likely won’t occur until next week at the earliest.

Monday’s ground search -- the area was perused by cops in the Air 1 helicopter Friday -- is the latest chapter in the perplexing case of Mr. Boucher, a 52-year-old high school teacher who vanished Jan. 13. Police believe he left his Gilchrist Crescent home -- it’s in the vicinity of Brock and Taunton Roads, some distance from the lakefront -- for an early morning run from which he did not return.

Since then there’s been no word from Mr. Boucher, and no sightings. Extensive ground searches yielded no clues as to his whereabouts or fate.

Det. Kennedy said the investigation has been hampered by an almost absolute dearth of clues.

“That’s been the problem with the case,” he said outside a police command post near the lake. “To go for that amount of time and not find anything I would suggest is fairly unusual.

“All we know for sure is that we’ve found a shoe.”

The discovery of the running shoe near the lake in the vicinity of Heydenshore was the first solid development in the mystery, Det. Kennedy acknowledged Monday.

“It’s the only break in this case,” he said. “It’s the only tangible lead we’ve had.”

Although the investigation has been scaled back it continues, he stressed.

“We’re still actively pursuing this case and continue to follow all leads,” he said.
Editor's note: A correction was made to this story on March 18, 2014 to note Mr. Boucher has been missing two months at the time the story was written.